Aston Villa face Hull City on Saturday looking for their first point, and goal of the Premier League season as they travel to the MKM Stadium.
A summer of change at Villa Park finally came to an end as the transfer window slammed shut on Tuesday night, meaning Villa’s squad is now set in stone, until January at least.
The extensive rebuild has given Unai Emery options at various positions as he begins the second act of his tenure, but also potential selection headaches as he tries to find his best team. Some of those tough decisions will begin on Saturday.
Here are five selection questions ahead of Villa’s trip to Hull:
Matty Cash or Aaron Wan-Bissaka?
Cash’s position as the starting right-back has essentially never been contested since he signed from Nottingham Forest back in 2020. Now Wan-Bissaka has arrived, there will be a genuine competition.
Naturally, Cash has a significant head start on the new signing as he has been in Emery’s system for three-plus years. He is also coming off arguably the best season of his career.
He does have weaknesses though, particularly defensively, and this is where Wan-Bissaka shines, which was on full display during his sharp cameo against Arsenal on Monday night as he made his Villa debut.
With Taylor Harwood-Bellis set to replace Ezri Konsa at centre-back this season, and given the fact he is not as strong in terms of one-on-one defending, Wan-Bissaka may actually pair better with the new centre-back moving forward, even if Harwood-Bellis is not likely to play on Saturday.
Ian Maatsen or Matteo Ruggeri?
Maatsen looks like the future at left-back for Villa, as the club spurned advances from Manchester United and are reportedly set to offer him a new contract to reflect his status within the team.
He struggled to overcome Lucas Digne in the last couple of years, and will now have Ruggeri – who arrived from Atletico Madrid this summer – nipping at his heels.
They are also two very different left-backs, so whoever is selected will not purely be an indicator of which player Emery thinks is better. Let’s see if that rotation starts this week, or if Maatsen is the clear starter for the time being.
Leon Goretzka or Ross Barkley?
It would not have been a shock if Goretzka started against Arsenal last week alongside Boubacar Kamara due to Joao Gomes serving a suspension, so it was a bit surprising he was not in the squad at all.
Emery told the media the German international needed more time to get up to speed. Is the best part of an extra week enough? Or will Barkley, who fared well on Monday night, retain his place? Could Lamare Bogarde even get the nod?
Goretzka’s pedigree is undeniable, and Emery did say he arrived in great shape, but after having no preseason as a free agent until Villa signed him, it remains to be seen how long his ramp up period will be.
George Hemmings or Alejandro Garnacho?
Garnacho is another player Villa are seemingly being careful with, for multiple reasons. The winger admitted himself that he needs to rebuild his confidence, and he has been eased in so far, playing just a few minutes in each of the first two games.
As well as needing to take on Emery’s coaching and adapt to the system, he also had to recover from a facial injury during preseason, which disrupted his acclimation.
19-year-old Hemmings has started the first two games instead and has performed well, without lighting the world on fire. Is Garnacho ready to start? Or will he have to settle for another substitute appearance?
Are any other new signings involved?
Johan Manzambi has reportedly trained with the rest of the team for the first time after recovering from a knee injury, as he nears his Villa debut following a £60m transfer from Freiburg.
If he is fit enough for a place on the bench, it would make Villa’s squad look a lot stronger and provide a huge boost. Similarly, Harwood-Bellis and Ibrahim Mbaye may be pushing to be involved in some way, even if they are very unlikely to start.
After having an underwhelming squad at their disposal in the first two games, things look like they are finally starting to come together for Villa.
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